Persuasion: "What kind of a job would make you smile?"

    

    A recruiter called me up, and instead of going through her sales pitch, she asked a simple question. "What kind of a job would make you smile?" Then, she waited.

    Startled, I thought of my ideal job: the setting, the hours, the types of clients and co-workers I most enjoyed, and then I added the work values (independence vs team-work, travel vs being in one place, variety vs one type of work, a desire for status or power, etc, that I most enjoy). By the time I finished, the recruiter knew a lot about me, including whether she had an opening that I would enjoy. This recruiter was an extraordinary persuader - but now she knew what to focus on when persuading me.

    Take five minutes and write down the description of the ideal job for you.

What are the setting, the type of tasks done, the hours, the pay, the types of ideal customers, and the values that you most enjoy? What would be the impact on employee engagement if you asked each current employee this simple question? 

    If you are a recruiter or are on a recruiting team, ask each candidate this. Then go a step further, and figure out what you could do to be his or her employer of choice. For example, if he comes from out of town, could you provide him with some pamphlets on the community, including information how to find local property managers or realtors (or at least a map of the town)? Could your waiting area for candidates showcase what is special about your community as well as your organization?  Could you find out ahead of time in an anonymous survey why your current employees like working for your organization and share that with your candidate? People like to work with others with similar interests. Find out which of your benefits or other advantages of your workplace (such as a career ladder or tuition reimbursement) means the most to the person, and talk about that.

If you are not a recruiter, think about whoever is your customer. What could you do to make a customer (internal or external) smile tomorrow? 

 

Could you adapt the question above to fit your needs, such as "What kind of (product or service) would make you as the customer smile?"

Business Speech Improvement offers intensive training in verbal skills. Special topics in verbal skills relating to sales/recruiting can be designed to fit your needs; contact us!

Random acts of kindness

Do you know a person or business that is about to move, or has recently done so? Business Speech Improvement, my company, has recently relocated. Random acts of amazing kindness have made a real difference in our settling in to our new state and community. In many communities, who you know is as important as what you do. As a newcomer, I know connections will make or break my business's success - but they take time to make. Today, for example, a business expert spent time helping me make crucial connections. Can you help a newcomer make friends or business connections? Other great things to do include bringing over a plant, a plate of brownies or a fruit basket. Invite him or her over for coffee. Maybe you could gather some information from the local Visitors' Bureau about great activities in the community, or offer the person a tour of the community. Little things like this make a big difference in how a person perceives his new community! Business Speech Improvement

Business Speech : Persuasion

Whether your job title is manager, CEO, recruiter, therapist, or something else, you may do a lot of persuading in your job. How successful you are depends in part on two skills.

The first is your grasp of what someone terms "radio station WIIFM", or "what's in it for me".
Do you emphasize the benefits that will appeal to the other person first? For example, if you are recruiting someone, do you ask "what are you looking for in a position?" and then mention those benefits first? If you are persuading your boss, do you consider his priorities, whether increased speed or decreased costs?

The second skill is your ability to do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it. If you set a deadline of getting back to someone by 4 PM on Wednesday, do you do it, or call the person to explain the problem and set a new deadline? Ignoring your own promises teaches others not to trust your word.

Business Speech Improvement provides Executive Communication Coaching and Sales Communication Training. Both are available for groups and individuals. More information is available at http://businessspeechimprovement.com/enabler/scripts/category.pl?Classes.

Trouble with American English Pronunciation?

Newcomers to the USA, whether they are here with H1B visas or other reasons, often struggle with pronunciation, culture and language skills. Many learned British English, which has many differences in grammar, vocabulary, intonation and pronunciation from American English. My Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals seminars often discuss some of these differences. For example, the British may pronounce "schedule" as "shedule", while Americans say
"skedule". The British may say the noun "progress" as "progress" (with a long "o" sound), while Americans say "prahgress". For those who want to change their pronunciation patterns, the next open enrollment Pronunciation Improvement for Non-native Professionals seminar will be January 10 - 12, 2010; a few spaces are still open at www.BusinessSpeechImprovement.com/class3.htm.